How to Save a Life
by FireboltPheonix
Summary: Ron demands a divorce from Hermione. The story follows Hermione as she copes with this and lifes hard and bitter struggles. But someone in the shadows tries to right her wrongs and Hermione needs to know why. 'Because you're worth saving' he replied.


_Hermione and Ron. A friendship ruined. A marriage failed. Hermione still loves him but never sees him. Everything has changed. And when Ron demands a divorce Hermione's reaction sets off a chain reaction of chaotic events and unexpected revelations that no one expects. Childrens lives are changed. Relationships begin. Friendships forged. And around a million and one lessons about life are learned, but is it enough...  
_

Disclaimer: J. K. Rowling owns it all.

Authors Note: So I hope you like this story. I have been working on so many things and this is the brainchild of a night spent listening to depressing music and watching 'The Women' and 'First Wives Club'. I have also gotten an addiction to tea so maybe that's had an effect on this story too. I hope you like it and please review or else I might continue writing something that loads of people hate!

**Over my Head**

Cracks are all around us. They are the tiny fissures in egg shells. Lines covering an old and battered rock. Showing how much use a wand has had. On a muggles car windscreen. On a surface with paint on it before flaking away. Cracks are everywhere, in everything we see, and on anything we touch. They are the beginning of something. Or nothing. For one marriage. Cracks had always been there. The constant bickering. The fights. The months without speaking to one another. And this was before they were even dating.

For Ron and Hermione their friendship was extremely strong but it was splattered with tiny fissures, things they got over. But never forgot. Marrying the person they loved was everything they'd ever wanted. They had a long honey moon period as the birth of their children came soon after getting wed, so Ron and Hermione never fully experienced each other as husband and wife. They never got to see the others little quirks, never confronted one another about small things that annoyed them. Smooth sailing was the way Ron described married life to his dad after the birth of his second child, Hugo. But they were always running after the kids, always making sure they had enough things to do, were learning and prepared for Hogwarts. When, finally, both kids were attending Hogwarts they imagined this as the revival of the honeymoon period. But this was marriage. And it was harder than most as Ron and Hermione had lost each other in the previous years. They didn't know the other anymore, mealtimes were a strain and at the end of September of having no kids at home, there were no more mealtimes. Ron worked late and Hermione kept herself busy after work. Ron slept on the sofa, saying to himself it was so as not to wake Hermione but he didn't know Hermione was wide awake every night, waiting for him to come up to bed but he never did.

They were lost. Hermione and Ron were alone in their marriage. It had stared as cracks, but after seeing Hugo off to Hogwarts and enjoying the day to themselves, they settled back into the routine they had been in for nearly fourteen years. After a month of doing this Hermione began to despair, with no Rose or Hugo she now saw what a failure her marriage had become. Then Ron entered the bedroom on the thirtieth of September, the eve of their wedding anniversary. Hermione's heart elated. He was back. Ron was coming to bed with her. She smiled at him and sat herself up in bed.

"Here" She said, indicating the space he used to occupy. Ron shook his head.

"I've actually got something to say Hermione" He said staring determinedly at the headboard. He was wearing worn blue jeans and a sweater, wizard robes of a rich plum colour covering up a lot of his clothing. His hair was short and was gelled in any direction, slightly reminiscent of Harry's hair. Hermione got a waft of his scent. His woody smell that made her feel good about life.

"I'm listening" Hermione whispered. She was in her pyjamas, it was eleven o clock after all. The pants were flannel and the top was an old t-shirt. She wore a silk dressing gown over them. Her messy hair was just piled on her head, most had fallen out of the loose bun and it fell wildly around her face.

"We… You… Us… It was never ever meant to be like this" Ron stuttered, "I never in my entire life thought I'd be about to speak these words to you"

"And what would those words be?" Hermione asked, trying to make eye contact with him. She wanted his blue eyes to look into her brown ones and tell her it was temporary insanity.

"Hermione… It's not working. It's over" Ron said, taking a breath.

This wasn't sinking in for Hermione. She didn't understand what Ron was saying.

"Is this your idea of a joke?!" She demanded.

"No" Ron said quickly, "Hermione… I don't love you anymore"

Hermione stared at the man she married. He looked into her eyes at last and this was worse than the words themselves. His stare stung her.

"What?" She asked hoarsely, wiping the lone tear making its way down her face.

"Our marriage. it's a façade. We don't love one another anymore"

"B-b-but I do. I love you Ron. How can you not think that I do? Is there something I can say? What did I do wrong?" Tears spilled over now. Hermione felt like she was crumbling inside.

"Hermione I want a divorce. I'm sorry, but it's what we need. The way we've been living it's not healthy" Ron said staring pitifully at his wife.

"Ron we've been married nearly fifteen years. You can't just decide that-"

"It's been a long time coming Hermione. You and I both know it"

"Ron-"

"Here" Ron interrupted, putting a large brown envelope at the bottom of the bed, "They're the divorce papers. I've signed already. Your signature is needed and then its done"

"But I don't understand. Why? Was it me? We can fix it? We can go to therapy" Hermione tried, her voice rising with each question.

"It wasn't you it was me-"

"Don't give me that hippogriff dung Ronald. I deserve more respect than that" She spat at him.

"Hermione. I'm all packed. We can tell the kids at Christmas. I'm leaving…now" Ron said, his blue eyes cold, but full of pity for the wreck that was Hermione, "Goodbye. I'll see you around" He said and with a last look at his soon to be ex-wife he left their bedroom.

"RON!" Hermione shouted after him. But he didn't turn around. She jumped out of bed and followed him down the stairs barefoot. He picked up his belongings in the living room. The lights were out and only the full moon outside provided light.

"I'll come back at get the rest in a week or so"

Hermione stared at Ron. In the moonlight he'd never looked so handsome. But it was a bittersweet moment as seconds later, Ron disapparated to Merlin knows where.

Hermione broke when she saw the look of freedom that lit up his face as he realised he was leaving. Was she that horrible?

"Bye" She said to the empty room.

Hermione was numb. She felt nothing. She walked around their entire house, staring at photos of happy days gone bye. She had a feeling Ron would stay with Harry but she wasn't sure. And right now she didn't care. Afterall her life was in tatters. Lily was fighting with her as she'd banned her from living with Albus, her best friend and cousin, for the remainder of the summer as she missed her daughter, but even Hugo had sided with his sister. So she hadn't spoken to her children in a month, her husband was divorcing her and she'd been fired that very day. Hermione finally found what she was looking for. It was something Ron used to take for the severe migraines he'd suffered after a Quidditch injury a few months earlier.

Hermione struggled with the cap but eventually she got it open. Then walking from the kitchen to the living room with the two litre bottle of Firewhisky, she nearly tripped on a wire. Hermione put the alcohol down on the coffee table and then screamed at the top of her lungs at a portrait of Ron.

"I hate you! You coward! You bastard! You are so selfish you piece of crap. What the fuck did I ever see in you? And what in the name of Hogwarts possessed me to stay marry you?" She sobbed, overcome with sorrow and grief. She could barely stand. Tears flowed unlike any other time in her life and after all she's been through, that was saying something.

"What did I do wrong? We could've sorted this? Saved ourselves and the children. But no… everything has to be done Ron's way, even if it is a backwards and inside out way!" Hermione collapsed onto the floor. She couldn't take it anymore. She wanted the pain to go away. She wanted to go back to them being happy, like they were in the photographs. With one final howl of pain the glass in may frames shattered. She was nothing. Her whole life had been built around Ron, he was the centre of her universe. She loved him. But he didn't love her back anymore. He'd come to despise her. She dragged herself over to the coffee table and downed the Firewhisky. She nearly choked but after a few gulps it stayed down. Hermione grinned to herself. Now everyone's life would be immeasurably better. She laughed as she drank the rest of what was in the bottle. It went straight to her head as she'd never been much of a drinker.

"No one loves Hermione" She sang loudly to the empty house. "Everybody has left me. I'm the worst failure of any. I can't cook Sunday roast. I've done everything wrong. My life is like a song and it's coming to an end" She started laughing hysterically when she'd finished.

She stood up and used Accio to get clothes, shoes and make up for herself. Because Hermione Weasley was going out. Hermione took ten minutes to tie her jeans thanks to the Firewhisky. After half an hour she was in jeans, a tunic and her only pair of heels. She pulled on her jacket, grabbed her purse and tottered out of the house. Her mission? To forget.

-

Hermione stumbled out of her fourth bar of the night. For a woman of forty she certainly didn't look it. She had no wrinkles her hair was still its natural colour. She was petite and slim, looking ten years younger than she actually was. A boy of about twenty followed her out.

"Hey! What's your name?" He asked, grinning at her.

"Jean" Hermione replied as she took a swig from her vodka.

"Nice to meet you Jean, I'm Daniel" He said. He wore dark blue jeans, a white shirt and a brown jacket.

"I love the name Daniel" She purred. He looked her up and down appreciatively and he pulled her in to him.

"I love the name Jean" He whispered to her. Then his lips crashed down onto hers. Hermione had completed her mission. She'd forgotten. Right now she was out of her mind with drink and was already imagining Daniel in her bed at home.

Hermione giggled, "Daniel, do you wanna come home with me?" She asked, tracing his lips with her fingers, as her words slurred.

He kissed her in response. His tongue swirled inside her mouth until she needed oxygen. She pulled away, "But first… more drink!"

"Here, here!" He agreed. He flung his hand over her shoulders and together they hit the town.

It was four in the morning and Hermione was craving Daniel. She'd been kissing him all night and just needed to be with him. To have someone in her bed, to hold her. She was desperate to get him into her room and he was so obliging it made everything more exciting. She brought him another drink and he pulled her close, smelling her hair. He finished the drink in one go, Hermione copied him. He slowly swayed her against him. They were practically connected. Hermione moaned.

"My house… now" She whispered hoarsely in his ear. He grinned and together they left the club. The exit took them into an alley, and as soon as the fresh air hit Hermione she could vaguely remember the nights events, but as though through a mist, as if it hadn't happened to her but to someone else.

Then Daniel was on her. He was taking off her jacket and pushing her against the wet wall. She tried to push him away.

"Daniel, stop"

But he continued. He undid her jeans and pulled her top over her head. His eyes were hungry, he looked familiar to Hermione, but she couldn't place where she'd see him before.

"Please…no, stop" She cried. Hermione kicked him in the shin and tried to run but he caught her leg and pulled her down to the floor. He pinned her arms with one hand and her legs with the other. Suddenly she placed him. She'd seen him on the muggle news, he was an escaped prisoner. He was a rapist and a murderer. Hermione's head cleared and she knew exactly what had happened that night. With Ron, with everything.

"Help! Please! Someone help! He's a murderer! Is anyone here? He's going to kill me!"

"Scream as loud as you want, its half four in the morning anybody who is out is polluted with drink. No one cares about you"

"HELP!" Hermione screeched at the top of her lungs, "Daniel STOP!!!"

Daniel slapped her with all his strength, and Hermione's head snapped to the left "Okay, maybe not that loud" He said laughing to himself. He began to undo Hermione's bra as she came round. She was disoriented for a few seconds. But then everything came rushing back.

"Help me please" She shouted. Hermione's face was already bruising from Daniel hitting her. Her lip was swollen and bleeding and her eye was nearly black in colour. She was practically naked, save for her underwear.

"No one can save you love, you're completely alone" Daniel said. Then he laughed as he rubbed his hand up her back to reach the bra strap.

"Stop" Hermione tried weakly as the drink and the abuse had gotten too much. She had never felt this bad in her life, at least in the Battle of Hogwarts she'd been sober.

Daniels mocking laughter was broken by a fist meeting his jaw and his body being thrown from Hermiones.

"I believe she said stop" A voice said sarcastically from somewhere above Hermione. She couldn't see who, as she was fading in and out of consciousness.

"What the fuck?" Daniel roared from the ground. Then he stood up and all Hermione saw was a giant shadow towering above him.

"I said she wants you to stop, and since you show no signs of doing that I'll have to make you" the strange voice said as it lashed out at Hermione's attacker. There was a lot of shouting and the sound of bones being broken. And then silence. Hermione opened one eye as her other one was so swollen it couldn't open. She saw a figure loom over her and then he crouched down so that he could have proper look at Hermione.

"Yeah, it's just a lot of bruising, should be okay though, I know a few spells that'll help that die down in minutes"

"Who are you?" Hermione asked in awe as the stranger lifted her up. She immediately felt safe as this persons arms encircled her. As they passed under a streetlight she saw a shock of white blonde hair and looking at the strong arms that held her up she saw they were practically transparent they were so pale.

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked incredulously.

His face tensed as he realised she knew who he was. Looking down at her his grey eyes boring into her one open brown eye ,

"Got it in one Granger" He drawled, smirking slightly. Hermione couldn't physically keep herself awake for a second longer as the shock of that and what had just occurred overcame her and she succumbed to the deep almost coma like sleep that called out to her.

-

It felt like seconds later she was being shaken awake.

"Wake up" Someone urged her.

"Ugh" Was all she managed. It was like she was being taken from infront of a warm fire and shunned into a cold corner. Then the person tilted her face up towards theirs and Hermione blearily opened both eyes without pain. Her brain searched for the reason as to why she was in no pain and then she recalled… _Malfoy_… _fight_… _spells_…

"Malfoy?" She asked. The light hurt her eyes so she shut them again.

"Try Harry" A familiar voice answered.

"Did she just ask for Malfoy?!" Another voice asked.

"Yeah Gin, she did" Harry answered his wife, concern evident in his tone of voice.

"Why would she ask for Malfoy? We see him once a year on Platform 9¾ but that shouldn't-"

"Ginny, love, I don't know why Hermione would call out for him"

"Well don't you think you should ask her and find out?"

"Yeah, I was just going to-"

"Well do it faster then!"

Harry sighed and then asked Hermione to open her eyes. She did so and was able to keep them open this time.

"Hey Mione… uh, why did you ask for Malfoy just there?"

Hermione sat up, it seemed she was in a bed.

"How did I get here? What happened to the street?" She wondered aloud.

"What street honey?" Ginny asked her.

"The street I was on. Malfoy was carrying me from the alley where I'd been attacked. He was talking about spells or something" Hermione mumbled.

"Hermione, all that's up with you is your hangover and even that's only a small one" Ginny said softly.

"No but its huge. I drank so much and then Daniel… dancing… drink… attack… streetlamp…"

"Hermione, it was just a dream. You weren't attacked" Ginny insisted, growing more and more worried, "Look" She said as she handed Hermione a mirror. Hermione looked into it and saw her perfect complexion, all her make up had been removed and there was not a single mark to show she'd been beaten by a wanted convict.

"But…"

"Bad dream Mione" Ginny said as she stroked her friends messy hair.

"Yeah" Hermione said quietly. She was so confused. She had no hangover, no make up on, no bruises no evidence of anything to prove what had happened last night.

"But where am I?" She asked her two best friends.

They glanced at one another, "Your in your own house, in your bed. Where else would you be?" Harry asked.

Hermione stayed silent for awhile. "How did you get in?" She asked eventually.

"With the key you gave us five years ago" Harry replied.

"Happy Anniversary!" Ginny said meekly producing a cake from somewhere nearby. Hermione took one look at the cake that had a wedding photo of herself and Ron on it and she burst into hysterical tears, that part of the night had been real, of course.

"Hermione, what is going on?" Ginny asked.

Hermione pointed at the large envelope Ron had left at the end of the bed the night before.

Harry sat onto the bed and pulled Hermione close, trying to stop her crying. There was silence as Ginny read the contents of the envelope. She gasped, and then a strangled growl escaped her lips. Finally she flung the papers at her husband and shrieked, "What a bloody coward of a rat of a cat of a bastard he is! I cant think of a bad enough word right now, but whatever it is he's that!" She exploded.

Harry finished reading them too and he curled his fists into tight balls. A vein appeared on his forearm, and another on his neck, and they pulsed in time with his angry breathing.

"Are they actually divorce papers then?" Hermione croaked. Ginny looked at her and nodded. Hermione's eyes welled up and Harry wrapped his arms around her, Ginny did the same and all three of them cried. After a few hours Ginny and Harry had to head home. Ginny wanted Hermione to stay with them but Hermione said no, she'd prefer to stay put. Ginny agreed but insisted that she'd make dinner for her friend. Hermione relented and was given a final hug from the couple. She heard them leave and fell back onto her pillow.

She must of dreamed of Malfoy then... and being attacked... and going out at all that happened. She was just beginning to laugh at the absurdity of it all when she saw something bulging in her jacket pocket. She clamoured out of bed and walked over to the jacket, inside it was some fabric, only a small amount, as if she's ripped it off a handkerchief or something. It was pretty plain except for the small stitching that was in one corner in green thread. She had no idea what it said as she'd need the whole thing to properly read it. But as she held it to her face, she caught the scent. A scent that she'd been intoxicatingly close to last night, a scent that belonged to the person who'd saved her, a scent that belonged to Draco Malfoy.

Authors Note: So that's it. More Ron. More everything next chapter. And no more nights out for Hermione! …I think! I hope you liked it and I hope there's not many spelling errors as its 04.10 here and I'm just too wrecked to proof it! Happy belated Halloween!! Please make my week by reviewing!!

FireboltPheonix

x x x


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